RENTON, Wash. - A man was killed Wednesday morning when his car plunged over an embankment at extremely high speed and crashed, Renton police say.

Officers and firefighters responded to the scene, on Puget Drive South at Benson Road South, at about 5:40 a.m. after receiving a report of a serious accident.

The car, a silver 2014 Lexus, was found on its side down a wooded embankment along a curve in the road. The male driver was found dead inside the vehicle.

A preliminary investigation found that the driver had been driving erratically before the crash, weaving in and out of traffic at dangerously high speeds.

As he reached the curve near the intersection of Benson Road and Puget Drive, he lost control of the car. It bounced off a power pole, the curb and a tree then plunged down the 30-foot embankment, where it sheared off a tree before coming to rest on its side against another tree.

The intersection is closed in the area while the wreckage is cleared and the accident is investigated. By 7:30 a.m., a two-mile backup had formed on northbound Benson Road.

The driver was the only occupant of the vehicle. He has not yet been identified. No other vehicles were involved in the crash.

It is unknown whether drugs or alcohol played a role in the accident.

Renton police are seeking any witnesses who may have seen the collision, or who may have seen the Lexus in the minutes before the crash. Witnesses are asked to call Officer Hyett at 425-430-7500, and refer to Renton Police Case 14-13621.